Keb' Mo's 1995 Grammy-winning eponymous debut firmly lodged the Los Angeles-born singer-guitarist in the contemporary blues pantheon. His sophomore effort, Just Like You, is slick in comparison to the virtuosic, bare-bones Keb' Mo', but it's nevertheless an irresistible and accomplished album. While songs such as "Perpetual Blues Machine" and "You Can Love Yourself" are classic Mo', with their canny lyrics and facile slide and acoustic guitar licks, the sapfest "Just Like You" (with guests Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne) and the clichéd "The Action" are hard to stomach. Toward the end of the disc, however, the gospel-laced "Hand It Over" and folksy "Momma, Where's My Daddy" restore the faith, displaying once again Mo's marvelous talent for wrenching the heartstrings with simply his voice and soulful steel-guitar manipulations.

Singer-guitarist Kevin Moore, known by his slangy abbreviation Keb' Mo', has already enjoyed commercial success. He's cut radio hits like "I Was Wrong", toured with Bonnie Raitt, and won Grammys for his last two albums. Yet this time, Moore's truly nailed his blues-pop ambitions with a warm mix of sonics and songcraft. The Door wraps spare arrangements around Moore's bone-deep slide guitar and the slow-granite foundation of drummer Jim Keltner and bassist Reggie McBride. They catch the spirit of the music's simple country roots, but spin savvy moves like updating Elmore James's "It Hurts Me Too" with a hip-hop groove that flies. Moore has also penned wise, sweetly emotional lyrics. He weaves themes like class-consciousness (the star-crossed love ode "Anyway") and poverty of the spirit ("Change") into heart-tugging ballads colored by the chocolate-y Mississippi moan of his voice. Add in flourishes of electric jazz guitar and some nasty rock tones, and this tallies up as his most ambitious, balanced album.

TajMo marks a timely convergence of the talents of two unique American artists who've already built iconoclastic individual legacies that have extended and expanded blues traditions into adventurous new territory. The collaboration brings out the best in both artists, with the pair merging their distinctive voices, personalities and guitar styles to create vibrant, immediate music that's firmly rooted in tradition yet ruled by a playful sense of adventure. The album features guest appearances by Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Lizz Wright and Bonnie Raitt, who lends her voice to a distinctive cover of John Mayer's anthemic 'Waiting on the World to Change'.

"Looking Into You", the first ever tribute album honoring Jackson Browne, features a mix of Browne's old friends, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, and younger admirers offering their own interpretations of 23 hits and album cuts from the songwriter's extensive catalog. Among those who lent their talents to this double-disc set are Ben Harper, Don Henley with Blind Pilot, Lyle Lovett, Keb' Mo', Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfa, and Lucinda Williams.

Keb' Mo's self-titled debut is an edgy, ambitious collection of gritty country blues. Keb' Mo' pushes into new directions, trying to incorporate some of the sensibilites of the slacker revolution without losing touch of the tradition that makes the blues the breathing, vital art form it is. His attempts aren't always successful, but his gutsy guitar playing and impassioned vocals, as well as his surprisingly accomplished songwriting, make Keb' Mo' a debut to cherish.